What is a “fiduciary?”
A fiduciary has a legal obligation to put your interest ahead of their own. This means that what is best for you financially MUST come ahead of our compensation. We will not sell a product that pays us a commission, or recommend a product with a sales load or a surrender charge. We sign a fiduciary pledge for all our clients.
What is your investment philosophy?
We believe that our clients should hold a diversified portfolio of assets consistent with their risk profile and their short- and long-term goals. We build portfolios that utilize low-fee passive or rules-based funds. We will not pick individual stocks, churn portfolios, or provide “hot” tips. We do not believe that we can beat the market through picking the best individual stocks or timing the buying and selling of securities or funds. Portfolios are rebalanced periodically to maintain the target asset allocation.
How do you invest your personal money?
We practice what we preach. We utilize low-cost ETFs in a blend of stock funds and bond funds that are consistent with our risk profile and time horizon. The funds are the same ones that we recommend to you. We do not own any individual stocks and do not try to time the market. We do rebalance our accounts to maintain our desired asset allocation.
Who is your “typical” client?
Jeff is a 30-year teacher, so he has a heart for helping teachers and other professionals who serve others. But, we are willing and able to help anyone who is coachable, driven, and motivated to achieve financial independence. If you are a hard working person who wants to work with a fiduciary adviser to achieve your financial goals, then you fit our typical client profile!
Who might not be a good client for your firm?
If you are looking for someone to pick individual stocks, time the market, or make daily trades, we may not be the best firm for you. If you are not interested in setting goals and then performing the actions needed to achieve those goals, then we may not be the best choice for you.
Why should we hire you instead of doing it ourselves?
We believe that there are many people who can manage their financial lives on their own. However, in other cases, we believe that we can provide an objective view of your entire situation and add value to your situation with our process and our advice. This is the reason that we have hired a financial planner – to be the extra set of objective eyes that can look at our situation from another perspective and collaborate with us to make the best decisions for our future. Also, if you want to outsource the management of your investment portfolio so that you can spend your valuable time on other pursuits, we are happy to serve that function as well.
Is my money safe?
We do not have physical custody of your money. If we are managing your investments, we simply have discretionary control over your funds, but the funds will be held at your custodian of choice. We recommend Charles Schwab or Altruist, which are both safe, reputable custodians.
How are you paid?
Venables Financial Solutions is fee-only. This means that we are paid for our advice. We do not sell financial products, receive commissions, or charge loads or surrender fees. We work only for you, and we get paid only by you. Our fees are fully transparent. We are 100% fiduciary advisers.
Do you work with people outside of South Carolina?
Yes! While we are physically located in South Carolina, we can and do help professionals across the country.
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